It is easy to get caught up in rules, rituals, and routines and mistake them for what it means to follow God. Romans 14:17 cuts through all of that with a simple but powerful reminder of what the kingdom of God is really about.
What Is Romans 14:17 About?
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 14:17 English Standard Version (ESV)
When Paul wrote the Book of Romans, part of his purpose was to settle real disputes happening inside the early church. Jewish believers had been expelled from Rome by an emperor, and when they returned, they found that the Gentile church had grown and embraced their freedom in Christ. Tensions rose quickly when the Jewish believers began pushing for dietary laws, circumcision, and other Old Testament requirements.
Paul addressed this head-on. His message was clear: adding these requirements on top of faith in Christ was missing the point entirely.
The Food Debate in the Early Church
There was a very practical issue at the center of this conflict. Pagan temples would sacrifice animals and then sell the leftover meat at prices lower than the marketplace. Many Christians, especially those who were poor, would buy this meat. For some believers, this was no problem at all. For others, particularly Jewish converts and those who had come out of pagan worship, it was deeply troubling.
Paul also addressed this situation in 1 Corinthians. His guidance was pastoral and balanced. Those who struggled with it should avoid it. Those who had no issue with it were free. But the more mature believers were reminded not to cause a fellow Christian to stumble over something like food.
Why This Still Matters Today
Two thousand years later, the food conversation has not gone away. It has just changed its clothes. Today it looks like protein targets, gallon-a-day water challenges, supplement stacks, and cutting entire food groups. There is no shortage of people willing to look down on someone else’s plate.
Should we eat a balanced, healthy diet? Absolutely. But food is meant to serve us, not the other way around. It is there to strengthen and nourish us. Enjoying it occasionally is not a sin. Obsessing over it, however, can quietly become a distraction from what actually matters in the Christian life.
Our focus as believers should not be on rituals or dietary rules. It should be on living for the Lord.
What Does It Mean to Be Covered by the Righteousness of Christ?
Paul’s point in Romans 14:17 is that the kingdom of God is built on righteousness, and that righteousness is not something we earn. It is something we receive.
When Jesus sat with His disciples in the upper room, He said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” – Luke 22:20 English Standard Version (ESV)
That new covenant means that through faith in Jesus Christ, His righteousness is imputed, or deposited, into us. We do not bring anything to the table except our trust in what He has already done. When God looks at us, He sees us as right with Him, not because of anything we have accomplished, but because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more, including eating the right foods or following the right rituals.
The Peace and Joy We Miss When We Focus on the Wrong Things
Here is what gets lost when we make the Christian life about our own efforts and rule-keeping: we miss the peace and joy that the Holy Spirit freely gives.
Romans 5 speaks to this directly, describing how the Holy Spirit fills us with the love of Christ. The assurance of our salvation brings peace. It brings joy. These are not things we manufacture through discipline or willpower. They are gifts that flow from resting in what Christ has done.
When the kingdom of God is understood as the righteousness of Jesus Christ transforming our lives, and the Holy Spirit producing peace within us, that is far more freeing than anything we could achieve on our own.
Why Human Nature Pushes Us Toward Earning It
It is worth being honest about why this is so hard. Human nature wants to contribute. We want to feel like we are doing something, working toward something, earning something. That instinct is not entirely bad, but it becomes a problem when we direct it toward trying to make ourselves more righteous before God through our own efforts.
The better direction for that energy is this: allow the righteousness of Christ to truly impact how you live. Grow in your knowledge of Jesus. Let that knowledge deepen your peace and expand your joy. That is the kind of growth that actually transforms a person from the inside out.
Life Application
This week, pay attention to where you might be placing your spiritual confidence. Is it in your habits, your disciplines, your rule-keeping, or your diet? Or is it resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ?
The challenge is simple: identify one area where you have been striving to earn God’s approval through your own effort, and consciously release it. Replace that striving with a moment of gratitude for what Christ has already done on your behalf. Let that gratitude be the starting point for your peace and joy this week.
Ask yourself these questions as you reflect:
- Am I allowing food, rituals, or personal rules to become a substitute for genuine faith and trust in Christ?
- Do I truly believe that the righteousness of Christ is enough, or am I still trying to add to it?
- Where in my life am I missing out on the peace and joy the Holy Spirit offers because I am focused on the wrong things?
Chuck Musselwhite 
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